Controlling device.



PATENTED JULY. 30

E. 0. SMITH. CONTROLLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.14,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

1H: NORRIS P5711 cc., .WASHINGTON, n. c.

No. 861,613. PATENTED JULY 30, 1907.

E. 0. SMITH.

CONTROLLING DEVICE.

' APPLICATION FILED 11123.14, 1905.

2 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

v Z Au 0170 1? i I EDWIN 0. SMITH, OF PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND.

CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Application 5155 Aprii14.1905- Serial No. 255,578.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN 0. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pawtucket, in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented new and useful Improvements in ControllingDevices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machine controllers, such as are employed withelectrical detector or actuating arrangements to modify or arrest theaction of the machine to which they are applied.

While this invention is applicable to various machines to whichelectrical controlling devices may be applied, it has, for convenience,been illustrated and described as applied to a loom equipped with ausual form of electrical warp stop motion.

The accompanying drawings show, respectively Figure 1, a plan view of mydevice; Fig. 2, a side view; Fig. 3, a plan view of the case 2 Fig. 1, asectional view of the same on the line AA, Fig. 1 and 2; Fig. 5, askeleton outline of a portion of a loom, to show the mode ofapplication, and the operation of the invention. Figs. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,11 & 12, modifications in the structure and mode of operation of theinvention.

The body or main frame of my device is a case 2, in which is mounted aslide 3, in bearings 4 and 5. This slide is tubular and within it is asecond slide 6 having a dependent arm 7, slotted to receive the crankpin 8, by which it is normally reciprocated within the first slide 3which is normally still. In the slide 3 is a transverse slot 9 and inthe slide 6 is a transverse ward 10, the relation of the two being suchthat the ward 1.0 passes and repasses the slot 9 with the normalreciprocation of its slide 6.

Suspended within the slot 9 of the slide 3 is a lock or lock plate 11,constantly within said slot, but normally out of engagement with theslide 6. This lock 11 is mounted on a rod 12 which is slidable in thepivoted frame 13, so that the said lock 11 may, when necessary, movewith the slide 6. By depressing the lock 11, the slide 3 and slide 6 areconnected to reciprocate as one, carrying with them the lock 11provision for the latters movement having been made as just previouslydescribed.

The depression of the lock 11 is effected through the electro magnets 1414 above which is an armature 15 rigidly secured to the pivoted frame 13which carries the slidably mounted lock 11. This frame is mounteddirectly on the frame or case 2, and therefore has no movement ofreciprocation with the slides 3 and 6, but only that very slightvertical movement necessary for the engagement or disengagement of thelock 11 with the slide 6. Herein is a manifest advantage, for the smalllock 11 is the only member having any material degree of movement, andthe mode of interlocking the two slides is such that the lock 11 can bevery light; and the frame that carries the lock can also be light, as

no strain is brought to bear on it due to said engagement. And, becausethese parts are all so light, and the elements of inertia and momentumso minimized, the interlocking can be effected with a minimum ofelectro-magnetic energy, thus insuring the greatest certainty of action.

The lock 11 is maintained in its normal position away from the slide 6by the spring 16, extending from the arm 17 of the pivoted frame 13 tothe wall 18 at the top of the case 2. It is also maintained from turningby the reverse bend 19 in the wire to which it is attached.

The immediate agent for operating the normally reciprocating slide 6 isthe crank 23, whose crank pin 8 engages the depending slotted arm 7, andwhose shaft 24 moves in the bearing 25. Secured to the crank shaft 24,outside the bearing 25, is the hub 26, one face of which is cut withclutch teeth 27. Mounted likewise on the crank shaft is the arm 28preferably slotted, having clutch teeth engaging those of the hub, (seeFig. 1), and held in engagement therewith by the nut 29 and the checknut 30.

The arm 28 is moved from some reciprocating or oscillating element, asillustrated in Fig. 5, from the lay sword 31 of the loom, and by thefollowinginstrumentalities. To the sword 31 is secured a bracket 32, andfrom this bracket extends a pin 33 into engagement with the arm 28. Asthe lay 34 moves to and fro in the direction of the arrows BB, to beatup the filling, it oscillates the crank 23 through the arm 28, thusimparting to the slide 6 its normal reciprocation.

By means of the clutch teeth 27 of the hub 26 and those corresponding inthe arm 28, the latter is adjustable to accommodate different relativelocations of the lay sword 31 and the controller device.

Secured in the projecting end 35 of the slide 3 is a rod or pusher 36,the outer extremity of which abuts or nearly sothe start ng handle 37 ofthe loom. When the loom is in operation, the said handle 37 is held inposition by engagement with the lock or notch 38. Should the lock 11 ofthe controller be depressed to couple the two slides 3 and 6, thuscausing the reciprocation of the normally still slide 3, the pusher 36would be caused to force out of its engagement with the notch 38, thestarting handle 37 which is thereupon caused, by its own elasticity orsome outside agency, to shift and stop the loom.

The loom driving devices, their belts and belt shifting or clutchshifting devices are so well known that they have been omitted in orderthat the drawings may not be unnecessarily obscured. It is well knownthat the shifting of the handle 37 starts or stops the loom, dependenton the direction of the shifting.

In. some instances, the lock or notch 38 is at the front of the plate39, in which case the action of the controlfor is to pull the startinghandle 37 out of engagement,

instead of push it. This is obviously accomplished by locating thehooked end of the pusher 3G in front oi the starting handle instead ofbehind it, as the controller is as effective to pull as to push, andrequires no special adjustment to do either. i

The pusher 36 is preferably secured by the set screw 40 which passesthrough the collar 41 and through the shell of the slide 3. By thismeans a substantial fastening is secured and ready means for adjustingthe position of the pusher 36 (see Fig. 2). A stop 42 prevents thepusher being set so far into the slide 3 as to interfere with the slide6. The slide 6 is also prevented from turning by the member of which thedepending arm 7 is a part. This member extends backward from the arm 7as a [in or spline 45, which runs in the spline way 46 cut in the frame2. (See Figs. 2 & 6.) Devices of this character are subjected to extremevibration and in consequence the electrical connections are liable tosuffer injury, the wires being jarred out of place and their insulationimpaired by contact with moving parts or even by vibrating and rubbingagainst still surfaces. The insulation is also liable to damage fromoil. To prevent trouble from such sources, the bottom portions of: themagnets 14 14 and the wires connecting them, and leading to the outsideof the controller, are

bedded in paraliin or other similar non-conducti g.

material. The better to effect this, the case 2 is divided into threecompartments, L7 48 and L9, (Figs. 3 dz 4) by two walls 50 and 51,extending across the case. In the middle compartment are located themagnets 14 14, and in this is poured hot paraffin or a similar materialwhich, when solidified, beds the wires and prevents vibration, andprotects from oil as well. To make this protection less costly, theparaliin is mixed with some desiccated non-conductor that is lesscostly, as, for example, saw-dust or a like substance. Oil can reach theinterior of the case 2 only from. the bearings 4-, 5 or 25. Whatevercomes from bearing 5 will drip into compartment 17 and drain awaythrough the opening 52; whatever comes i om bearing 4; and 25 will drainaway through the opening 53, so that none can reach the compartment 18.

The wiring connections are as follows(Figs. 1 dz 3). The two leads 43and 14 from the magnets pass from their paraffin bed to the opening 54in a wood block 55, and through this and the side of the case 2 to thesurface of a non-conducting plate 56 which is preferably fiber. Herethey terminate at the binding screws 57 and 58 which also serve tosecure both the plate 56 and the block 55 in place. The holes 59 and (30in the case 2 are sufliciently lrrge to insure against contact of thescrews with the case, and are preferably hushed with non-conductingmaterial. To prevent injury to or tampering with these terminalconnections, they are protected with a cap 61, also preferably made ofnonconductor.

The structural detail of my improved controller having been described,its precise mode of operation with a loom will now be indicated.

Fig. 5 indicates in outline a loom with a warp stop of usual form, andthe controller connected therewith. 62 is a source of electrical energyfrom which one wire leads directly to one terminal of the controller D,while the other 71 is grounded in the loom frame at 63. From the otherterminal of the controller, a wire 72 extends to the plate 64 whichengages the conducting strips 65 (550i the compound electrodes 66 66(Fig. 5). These are of well-known form, comprising a conduct ing body 67and a conducting strip 65 insulated there from. The bodies 67 67 areconnected with the loom frame by brackets 68 and (39 and other wellknown connections. The electric circuit embraces, therefore, on

one side, the wire 70, the controller D, the wire 72, the

plate 64 and the conducting strips 65 65 which constitute the terminalfor one side of the circuit; on the other side, the wire 71, the loomframe 73, and the electrode bodies 67 G7 (with their supports), whichbodies constitute the terminal for the other side of the circuit. On thecompound electrodes are drop wires 74 (one only of which is shown) onefor each thread of the warp, each normally suspended by the tension ofits thread, so that it contacts only with the body of the compoundelectrode. The electric circuit is therefore normally open, the magnets14 14 of the controller are inactive, and the pusher 36 is passive. Whena warp thread breaks, its drop wire falls, 'and the inclined edge 75,engaging the conducting strip 65, gives the drop wire a tilting actionthat causes its engagement with both the conducting strip 65 and thebody 67, therebyclosing the electric circuit. This causes the action ofthe magnets 14 14 and, through the lock 11, the action of the pusher 36which acts upon the handle 37 in the manner above described, to effectthe stopping of the loom.

It is obvious that various structural modifications are available whichfall within the scope of this invention. For example, Fig. 6,illustrates an arrangement of my device where the crank 23 iscontinuously rotated, as by a sprocket chain.

Fig. 7 shows an arrangement where the crank is driven by a rack andgear, and Fig. 8, where it is driven by a circular rack or segmentalgear, in which instance the arm 28 is employed as before: a part of, orconnected with the segmental gear.

When the driving arrangements are as in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, the crank 23must be susceptible of a complete rotation, and in such cases the saidcrank and the slotted, depending arm 7 are as in Fig. 12. ment hasmarked advantages in certain instances. First, the movement of thereciprocating parts is limited by the throw of the crank, and as that isIixed, there is no danger of any parts dead-ending, and no damage canoccur from error in adjustment. Sometimes the crank 23 is driven by amachine member having a much greater extent of movement than is requiredto'oscillate a crank of the form in Fig. 9 within its predetermined oreven possible limits of movement. In such cases, the use of a crank offixed throw, making a complete rotation or rotations is the onlypracticable expedient to be employed.

In warp stop motion work, the use of a crank making several completerotations is a manifest advantage, for it can be caused to rotate atsuch rate that the reciprocating slide 6 makes several reciprocationsfor one beat up of the lay. If this number of reciprocations be three,then the controlling device will act proportionally quicker than when itreciprocates only once to every beat up or pick.

Fig. 9. illustrates a form of structure involving several modifications.Here the normally still slide 3 is This arran within the normallyreciprocating slide 6. The normally still slide is a rectangular barhaving upward projections 76 76 which retain and carry the lock 11 as,in the structure first described, the slot 9 does. The lock 11 slidesupon rods 77 77, instead of being secured to and sliding with itssupporting rod. .The armature frame 13 is of one piece with thearmature, and its axis of oscillation is parallel to, instead oftransverse of the direction of movement of the slides 3 and G. Thenormally reciprocating slide 6 is preferably composed of two joinedrectangular bars that flank the normally still slide 3, though it mightbe one bar bent to flank the said slide. From one of the bars of theslide 6 depends the slotted arm 7 which is engaged by the pin 8 of thecrank 3.

Fig. 10 shows a modification wherein the interlocking of the slide 3with the slide 6 is controlled mechanically instead of electrically.This is a matter of importance in certain warp stop motions wheremechanical rather than electrical action is preferred. A usual form ofstructure for such a warp stop motion comprises a drop wire 78 upheld bya warp thread 79, and retained in position by a guiding bar 80. Thisdrop wire hangs in front of an oscillatable but normally still bar 81which is supported by an arm 82 from the rock shaft 83. Projecting fromthe rock shaft 83 is another arm 8-1 which, through the wire 85,supports the armature lever 13. 86 is a second bar which normallyoscillates on and independent of the rock shalt S3, driven by the link87, through the arm 88, from some appropriately moving loom member. Thebar 86 oscillates in the direction of the arrows E E, and to such extentthat when the drop wire 78 falls, it is engaged by the oscillating bar86, and thereby caused to shift the bar 81, depressing the lever 84 andcausing the lock 11. to interlock the slide 3 with the slide 6. Thisarrangement is peculiarly valuable to a mechanical warp stop motion,because it removes much work from the detecting mechanism, therebypermitting the use of lighter and more sensitive mechanism, andminimizing the danger of damage, and reducing the liability to wear.

A usual arrangement for mechanical warp stop motions is to employ adagger at the front of the loom, adapted to be shifted into the path ofsome moving element and be acted upon to effect the disengagement andaction of the starting handle 37. The shifting of this dagger iseffected by a train of instriunentalities which are more cumbersome,more expensive, and which impose more work and cause more wear on thedetector mechanism than can the extremely light, effective device hereindescribed.

I have hercinbefore referred to the application of this device to themodification of, as well as the controlling ofmechauical action. Fig. 11illustrates such an application. On the shaft 90 is fixedly secured awheel 91 and a ratchet wheel 92: also on the shaft 90 is loosely mountedthe gear 93 which rotates the shaft 90 through the ratchet wheel 92 bythe pawl 94. The gear 93 is driven by a gear 95 which also drives thearm 28 of my device D, through the crank 96 and link 97. In this case,the pusher 36 terminates in a pawl 101, which is hinged or otherwiseadapted to yield, to permit the passage of the tooth 102 on the wheel91. Projecting from the wheel 91 is a pin 100, adapted to engage aspring plate 98, to press it against the plate 99. 62 is a source ofelectrical energy, and, as in the case of Fig. 5, the wire connects thesaid electrical source with the device D, while the wire 71 connects itwith the plate 99, and awire 7 2 joins the spring plate 98 with thedevice. The electrical circuit therefore extends from the generator 62through the wire 70 to the device D, thence through the wire 72 to thespring plate 98, and, when said spring plate is pressed against theplate 99, through the latter plate and its wire 71 back to the generator62. But the plates 98 and 99 are normally separated. As the wheel 91rotates, the pin 100 is brought into contact with, and causes theengagement of the spring plate 98 with the plate 99, just as the tooth102 has passed the pawl 101. This closes the electric circuit, andcauses the action of the device D which, projecting the pusher 36,engages the pawl 101 with the tooth 102, and pushes the wheel 91. itsshaft 90 and attached ratchet wheel 92, ahead, giving them an extraimpulse or forward movement, other than that directly due to theintermeshing of the gears 93 and 95 and their consequent speed ratio.This novel combination is not specifically claimed in this, but is to bemade the subject matter of another application.

It is obvious that further modifications of structure and arrangementare possible. The distance between the device D and the point where theelectric circuit is controlled is practically unlimited, and thereforethe device can be operated at long distance; as, for the controlling ofpower, of machinery, the operation of signals or other devices that mustbe controlled at long range, or from some central station.

Therefore, without limiting myself to the exact form, arrangement orapplication of my device, I claim:

1. The combination with a machine and controlling member thereof, ofmeans normally still but capable of being caused to act on saidcontrolling member, of other means normally moving, a lock mountedindependently of both the normally still and the normally moving means,capable of being shifted to couple said means and of moving with them,and elcctro-magnetic means to shift'said lock to effect said coupling.

2. The combination with a machine and controlling member thereof, ofmeans normally still but capable of being caused to act on saidcontrolling member, of other means, normally moving back and forth, alock mounted independently of both the normally still and the normallymoving moans, capable of so coupling the two that the first ispositively driven back and forth by the second and capable of movingwith both the said means, and automatic means for effecting saidcoupling.

3). In a controlling device, the combination with a normally still and anormally moving element and means to actuate the moving element, of amovable frame, guides in the frame, a lock movable on the guides andmeans to shift the frame to engage the lock with the normally still andthe normally moving element.

4. In a controlling device, the combination with a normally still and anormally moving clement and means to actuate the moving element, of amovable frame, guides in the frame, a lock movable on the guides, andmeans to antomatically shift the frame to engagethe lock with thenormally still and the normally moving element.

5. In a controlling device, the combination with a machine and itsdriving devices, of a controlling member, a member normally still butmovable to act on the controlling member and having a slot, a lockcontrolled in position in one direction by said slot, but mountedindependently of said normally still member, a normally moving memberhaving a ward to receive said lock to couple it with the normally stillmember, means to shift the lock to enter said ward, and means to actuatethe normally moving member.

6. The combination with a tubular slide 3 and pusher 3G attachedthereto, of a reciprocating slide 6 within the tubular slide, said slide6 being provided with a spline engaging a splineway L6 to prevent therotation of said slide, and with a depending slotted arm 7, and meansengaging said arm to actuate the slide (5.

7. The combination with the slide 3, of the pusher 36,

the collar 41, set screw 40, the reciprocating slide 6, means tointerlock the two slides, and means to reciprocate the slide 6.

I S. The combination with a slidable but normally still member, of apusher adjustably secured to said member, a reciprocating member andmeans to drive the reciprocating member, a slidable lock and means toengage said lock with said slidable and reciprocating members to causethe positive reciprocation of the first in either direction.

9. The combination with a reciprocatablc but normally still memberhaving a notch, of a reciprocating member having a ward that travelsback and forth past the said notch, a lock to engage said notch andward, and means to actuate the lock.

10. An electro-magnetic coupling for controlling devices, comprising anarmature, a pivoted frame, a lock slidable on the frame, and anclectro-magnet for actuating the lock.

11. An elcctro-magnetic coupling for controlling devices, comprising anarmature, a movable frame, alock slidable on the frame, and anelectro-magnet for actuating the lock.

12. The combination with a longitudinally reciprocating member and alongitudinally reciprocatable member, of a lock mounted outside of andindependently of both, but ongaging and movable with one, and means toengage it with both.

13. In a controlling device, the combination with a normally movingmember, of a normally still member, a crank for moving the tirst membercapable of making a plurality of rotations, a lock to couple the twosaid members, and automatic means to cause the lock to act.

14. In a controlling device, the combination with a crank, of a slideoperated by the crank, a normally still slide, and means to engage thenormally still slide with the crank driven slide. I

15. The combination with a rcciprocatable member and a reciprocatinglnember, of locking means to couple the two movable with theirreciprocation, means to normally restrain the locking means fromcoupling the two, and means for effecting the coupling.

16. A coupling for controlling devices, comprising a movable frame and alock slidably mounted on said frame.

17. A coupling for controlling devices comprising a pivoted frame and alock slidable on said frame.

18. The combination with a loom having driving devices, a member tocontrol said devices, and a lay, of a member making a plurality ofmovements to each beat of the lay, and means for causing said member toact upon the controlling member upon normal action of the loom,

19. The combination with a loom having driving devices, a member tocontrol said devices, a lay, lay sword, contact devices and detectorsadapted to engage said contact dc of a detector vices upon abnormalaction of the loom, of a crank driven by the lay sword, a member drivenby the crank, a movable but normally still member, a lock to engage thedriven member with the normally still member to shift the latter, meansto transmit the shifting of the normally still member to the controllingmember to cause its action, means to shift the lock for such engagementactuated by engagement with the contact devices, and means to restrainthe detector from such engagement during the normal action of the loom.

20. The combination with a loom having driving devices, a member tocontrol the said devices, contact devices and detectors to engage thecontact devices, of a normally still member, a normally moving member, alock mounted independently of the normally still and normally movingmember, means operated by the contact devices upon the action of thelatter due to engagement therewith of a detector, to engage by said lockthe normally moving member with the normally still member to shift thelatter, and means to transmit the action of the latter to the loomcontrolling member to cause its action .on the driving devices.

21. The combination with a loom having driving devices, a member tocontrol the said devices, and an electric circuit including terminals,of a normally still member, a normally moving member, a lock mountedindependently of the normally still and normally moying member,electromagnetic means to shift the lock to engage the normally movingmember with the normally still member to shift the latter, means totransmit the shifting of the normally still member to the controllingmember to cause its action on the driving devices, a detector which byabnormal action or the loom is caused to engage the terminals,completing the circuit and causing the action of the electro-magneticdevices, and means to restrain the detector from such engagement duringnormal action of the loom.

22. The combination with a loom, its lay, electrical detector device andsource of electrical energy for same, of a self-contained controllerdevice comprising a normally still member, a normally reciprocatingmember, a slidable lock mounted independently of said two members butshiftable to couple them, magnets for actuating said lock, means toconnect said normally reciprocating member with a going part of theloom, and means to cause the action of said magnets from said electricaldetector device.

23. In a stop motion for looms, the combination with a normally stillmember, a normally moving member and a lock normally engaging one andengageable with the other to couple the two, of detector meanscontrolled by a thread, and means for coupling said members by saidlock, actuated from the detector means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN C. SMITH.

Witnesses Cims. A. EDDY, GRACE W. NORTLICOTT.

